SCHOOLS IN THE MOST AFFLUENT PARTS OF ENGLAND ARE FAILING PUPILS FROM POOR FAMILIES ,THE GOVERNMENT WARNS TODAY . DAVID LAWS THE SCHOOLS MINISTER DESCRIBED THE RECORD IN “SOME OF THE LEAFIEST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ” AS A “DISGRACE ” , ACCUSING THEM OF WASTING EXTRA MONEY PROVIDED FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUNG PEOPLE .

IF THESE SCHOOLS FAIL TO IMPROVE THE “OUTRAGEOUSLY LOW ” EXAM RESULTS OF POOR CHILDREN ,HE WARNED THEY COULD BE EVENTUALLY FACE CLOSURE . CHILDREN FROM DEPRIVED AREAS ARE GETTING BETTER RESULTS THAN THOSE FROM AFFLUENT PARTS ,HE SAID . IN AN INTERVIEW WITH i ,THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MINISTER ANNOUNCED PLANS TO ENSURE HIS PARTYS £2.5 bn -a- YEAR PUPIL PREMIUM SCHEME MAKES MOREIMPACT .

UNDER THE SCHEME , 1 .8 MILLION PUPILS WHO ARE EITHER ON FREE SCHOOL MEALS OR HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THEM IN THE PAST SIX YEARS ATTRACT £900 A YEAR OF FUNDING EACH SO THAT THEIR SCHOOL CAN GIVE THEM SPECIAL HELP .NEW DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION FIGURES SHOW THAT 42 PER CENT OF THOSE CHILDREN GOT FIVE GCSEs WITH GRADES A* TO C IN 2011 -12 COMPARED WITH 67 PER CENT AMONG CHILDREN FROM BETTER OFF FAMILIES -A NATIONAL ” ATTAINMENT GAP ” OF 25 PER CENT .

HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES WITH THE LOWEST LEVELS OF DEPRIVATION HAVE “WEAK RESULTS”FOR CHILDREN ON THE PUPIL PREMIUM AND A BIG ATTAINMENT GAP BETWEEN THEM AND OTHER CHILDREN . IN CONTRAST ,ALL 10 AUTHORITIES WITH THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF DEPRIVATIONHAVE GOOD RESULTS FOR CHILDREN ON PUPIL PREMIUM AND SMALL GAPS BETWEEN THEM AND OTHERS .

MR LAWS HAS WRITTEN TO ABOUT A100 SCHOOLS IN THE 15 AREAS WITH A BIG GAP TO ASK THEM TO ENSURE THE PUPIL PREMIUM IS USED TO CLOSE IT . FROM SEPTEMBER ,THE SCHOOLS THAT FAIL TO CLOSE THE GAP WILL BE CLASSED AS ” REQUIRING IMPROVEMENT BY OFSTED ,RATHER THAN “OUTSTANDING ” IF THEY DO NOT IMPROVE IN THE FOLLOW – UP INSPECTIONS ,THEY WILL HAVE TO BRING IN A HEAD TEACHER FROM A SCHOOL TO ADVISE THEM FOR A PERIOD . SCHOOLS COULD BE PLACED IN “SPECIAL MEASURES ” AND EVENTUALLY CLOSED

MR LAWS SAID : SCHOOLS IN THE LEAFIEST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY MAY THINK THAT THEY ARE DOING EXTREMELY WELL ,BUT THEY HAVE AN OUTRAGEOUSLY LOW NUMBER OF PUPIL PREMIUM YOUNGSTERS GETTING FIVE GOOD GCSEs . TO HAVE 65 PER CENT OF POOR YOUNGSTERS IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE FAILING TO GET FIVE GOOD GCSEs IS A DISGRACE .

LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND SCHOOLS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER HIDE BEHIND GOOD HEADLINE FIGURES IF THEY FAIL A VERY LARGE COHORT OF PUPILS . HE SAID HIS GOAL WAS TO HALVE THE 25 PER CENT ATTAINMENT GAP NATIONALLY .

A NUMBER OF ARTICLES HAVE APPEARED IN NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS FOCUSED ON CRISIS SITUATIONS THAT HAVE COME TO THE FORE IN EDUCATION. HERE ARE SOME EXCERPS FROM EACH . READ THEM IN FULL TO GAIN AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT IS HAPPENING NATIONALLY .

MISSING:15,000 DID NOT APPLY FOR UNIVERSITY AFTER FEES HIKE.

FROM THE GUARDIAN 9TH AUGUST 2012 BY JEEVAN VASGAR EDUCATION EDITOR

THE INCREASE IN TUITION FEES TO A MAXIMUM OF £9,000 A YEAR HAS LED TO A “CLEAR DROP” IN THE NUMBER OF ENGLISH STUDENTS APPLYING FOR UNIVERSITY PLACES THIS AUTUMN ,AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE COALITION`S CONTROVERSIAL REFORM HAS FOUND.

THERE ARE 15000 “MISSING ” APPLICANTS WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED TO HAVE SOUGHT A PLACE ON A DEGREE COURSE THIS ACADEMIC YEAR BUT DID NOT ,ACCORDING TO THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON FEES.

GOVE SET TO FACE GRILLING BY MPS OVER GCSE GRADES STORM .

FROM THE OBSERVER 2ND SEPTEMBER 2012 BY TOBY HELM AND CONAL URQUHART

MPS ARE POISED TO LAUNCH A CROSS -PARTY INQUIRY INTO THE GCSE MARKING FIASCO THIS WEEK AS THE DISPUTE OVER “GRADE DEFLATION ” THREATENS TO OVERSHADOW AND DISRUPT THE RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.

THE PARTY INQUIRY THAT WOULD SUMMON THE EDUCATION SECRETARY MICHAEL GOVE TO GIVE EVIDENCE LOOKS ALL BUT INEVITABLE AFTER THE ONLY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP ON THE EDUCATION SELECT COMMITTEE ,DAVID WARD JOINED LABOUR AND TORY MPS IN SUPPORTING CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION.

MPS HAVE BEEN BOMBARDED WITH COMPLAINTS FROM FURIOUS TEACHERS AND PARENTS AFTER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ,WHO HAD BEEN EXPECTING C GRADES -THE CRUCIAL LEVEL FOR ENTRY ON TO MANY A-LEVEL AND FURTHER EDUCATION COURSES WERE UNEXPECTEDLY GIVEN D GRADES.

LESLEY DAVIES THE DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES ,SAID : THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT A STUDENTS ENGLISH GRADE CAN IMPACT ON WHAT THEY ARE PLANNING TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES.

GOVE IS ALSO UNDER PRESSURE TO SHOW THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF FREE SCHOOLS IS ON TRACK . SOME 51 OF THE SCHOOLS -ESTABLISHED BY PARENTS OR OTHERS IN RESPONSE TO LOCAL DEMAND -WERE DUE TO OPEN THIS WEEK .HOWEVER, 5 ON THE LIST ; PARKFIELD SCHOOL BOURNEMOUTH , COMPASS FREE SCHOOL SOUTHWARK, ONE IN A MILLION SCHOOL BRADFORD ,SWANAGE SCHOOL DORSET AND PIMLICO PRIMARY IN LONDON WILL NOT NOW OPEN.

GOVE ACCUSED OVER FREE SCHOOL CASH

FROM THE GUARDIAN 31ST AUGUST 2012 BY CAROLINE DAVIES

THE GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED AT LEAST £2.3 M ON FREE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE EITHER NOT OPENED OR LACKED LOCAL SUPPORT FROM PARENTS ,AND THE TRUE FIGURE COULD BE FAR HIGHER ,ACCORDING TO LABOUR.

ATTACKING THE EDUCATION SECRETARY MICHAEL GOVE ,AS “INCOMPETENT AND OUT OF TOUCH ” HIS LABOUR SHADOW ,STEPHEN TWIGG CALLED FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY OVER FUNDING FOR FREE SCHOOLS – ONE OF THE COALITION`S FLAGSHIP REFORMS .

MICHAEL ROSEN LETTER FROM A CURIOUS PARENT.

FROM THE GUARDIAN 7TH AUGUST 2012 BY MICHAEL ROSEN

`UNQUALIFIED TEACHERS WILL OPERATE MACHINES IN THE MILLS THAT WILL MANUFACTURE THE SCHOOLED CHILDREN`

DEAR MR GOVE ,AS RUMOURS SWIRL ABOUT CONCERNING YOUR POSSIBLE DEPARTURE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ,IT`S DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF THIS IS AN END OF YEAR OR AN END OF SCHOOL REPORT.EITHER WAY ,PARENTS, PUPILS AND MOST PEOPLE WHO WORK IN EDUCATION STAY AT THE SCHOOL WHEEL LONGER THAN ANY SECRETARY OF STATE .WE SEE YOU COME AND GO LIKE SWALLOWS ,EACH ONE OF YOU DETERMINED TO MAKE YOUR MARK ON AN INSTITUTION THAT IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF MAKING IT`S OWN MARKS, IF GIVEN THE CHANCE.

SO IT IS THAT IT DOESN`T SEEM TO HAVE WORRIED THE FOURTH ESTATE TOO MUCH THAT YOU HAVE FOUND SOME SMALL PRINT THAT SEEMS TO GIVE YOU AND YOU ALONE THE POWER TO REMOVE LOCALLY ELECTED PEOPLE FROM THE RUNNING OF A SCHOOL , THAT YOU AND YOU ALONE BECOME THAT AUTHORITY ,NOR, UNDER COVER OF THE OLYMPIC HOO -HA ,HAVE JUST FUNDAMENTALLY ALTERED THE TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS . YOU HAVE UNLEASHED ON OUR CHILDREN A NEW GENRE : THE UNQUALIFIED TEACHER .MAYBE IN YOUR NEXT JOB YOU WILL FOLLOW THIS UP BY GIVING US UNQUALIFIED LAWYERS ,UNQUALIFIED SURVEYORS ,UNQUALIFIED STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ,UNQUALIFIED NURSES AND UNQUALIFIED DOCTORS.